Is Open Source Software Right for Your Enterprise?
Guest editor: Phil Laplante, Penn State University
Total pages: 32
$29.00
Introduction
Open source software (OSS) is freely available for download and modification
provided that the terms of the license agreement are followed. Increasingly,
organizations are recognizing that OSS is a viable alternative to costly desktop
applications, enterprise solutions, and even custom off-the-shelf software. But
the decision to use OSS is not always an easy one as questions of quality,
security, licensing, standards compliance and more need to be addressed. These
readings will help identify these issues more clearly and assist readers in
drawing their own conclusions about the viability of OSS in various situations.
The first article, "Achieving Quality in Open-Source Software," sets the stage
by establishing the value proposition for open source software and shows how,
using best practices, many open source communities can achieve a level of code
quality that is equal or higher to that in commercial (closed source) settings.
An important issue to be considered when adopting open source software in the
workplace is licensing issues. There are many different kinds of open source
licenses with very different legal implications and it is important that all the
nuances of such licenses be understood before any adoption decision is made.
Ueda's article, "Licenses of Open Source Software and their Economic Values," is
helpful in understanding some of these licensing issues as well as the economic
implications of using open source software in the enterprise.
OSS can be used in several ways in the workplace—on the desktop, in the
enterprise, and to provide a toolset for the development of proprietary
software. The last three articles explore these issues. In "Replacing
Proprietary Software on the Desktop," Hardaway explores the use of OSS on the
desktop. In "Open Source Software: Is It Worth Converting?" the authors show how
OSS can be used to transform antiquated legacy systems into a modern
architectural form. Finally, Ruffin and Ebert explore the issues surrounding the
use of OSS in producing production grade proprietary software in their article
"Using Open Source Software in Product Development: A Primer."
Keywords: open source software, software architecture, software quality, IT
systems perspectives, web applications, open source software licenses, GPL,
network externality, social infrastructure
Table of Contents
Achieving Quality in Open-Source Software
Mark Aberdour, opensourcetesting.org
Reviewing objective studies of open source software quality can help us better
understand how to achieve software quality in both open and closed-source
development.
Licenses of Open Source Software and their Economic Values
Masashi Ueda, Kansai University
Licenses of open source software (OSS) vary but can be categorized as GNU
general public license, GNU lesser general public license, or Mozilla public
license. This article discusses these licenses and the economics of using OSS in
the enterprise.
Replacing Proprietary Software on the Desktop
Don Hardaway, Saint Louis University
Open standards, open source software, and Web applications are causing a major
shift in the way enterprises manage software.
Open Source Software: Is It Worth Converting?
Anthony Gold, Unisys Corp
Thomas Costello, Upstreme Inc.
Phillip Laplante, Penn State University
Open source software use is amassing a long list of benefits. Enterprises that
are discouraged about converting existing software might find that modernization
building blocks can make that task easier.
Using Open Source Software in Product Development: A Primer
Michel Ruffin and Christof Ebert, Alcatel
There are important legal aspects involved in using open source software in
commercial products. Here are answers to common questions on how to handle these
issues to mitigate risk.
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